Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer also known as The Golden city, is a city in the Indianstate of Rajasthan, located 575 kilometres (357 mi) west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a royal palace and several ornate Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples of both the fort, and of the town below, are built of finely sculptured sandstone. The town lies in the heart of the Thar Desert. Jaisalmer was once the capital of Jaisalmer State was built in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal, Jaisalmer Fort, situated on Meru Hill and named as Trikoot Garh has been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a tawny lion colour during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets. About a quarter of city’s population still live inside the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

Attractions Of Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer Fort

Jaisalmer fort wasb uilt in 1156 by the Bhati Rajput ruler Jaisal, Jaisalmer Fort, situated on Meru Hill and named as Trikoot Garh has been the scene of many battles. Its massive sandstone walls are a tawny lion colour during the day, turning to a magical honey-gold as the sun sets. About a quarter of city’s population still live inside the fort. The main attractions inside the fort are: Raj Mahal (Royal palace), Jain temples and the Laxminath temple.

Bada Bagh

Bada Bagh, also called Barabagh (literally Big Garden) is a garden complex about 6 km north of Jaislmer on the way to Ramgarh, in the state of Rajasthan in India. Overlooking a mango grove sits a set of royal cenotaphs, or chhatris, of Maharajas of Jaisalmer State, starting with Jai Singh II.

A descendant of Maharawal Jaisal Singh, the founder of the state and Maharaja of Jaisalmer State, Jai Singh II (1688–1743), commissioned a dam to create a water tank during his reign in the 16th century. This made the desert green in this area.

After his death on 21 September 1743, his son Lunkaran built a beautiful garden next to the lake and a chhatri (Hindi for cenotaph) for his father on a hill next to the lake. Later on, many more cenotaphs were constructed here for Lunkaran and other Bhattis. The last chhatri, meant for maharaja Jawahar Singh, dates from the 20th century and remains unfinished after Indian independence.

Patwon Ki Haveli

The Patwon Ji ki Haveli is an interesting piece of Architecture and is the most important among the havelis in Jaisalmer. This is precisely because of two things, first that it was the first haveli erected in Jaisalmer and second, that it is not a single haveli but a cluster of 5 small havelis. The first among these havelis was commissioned and constructed in the year 1805 by Guman Chand Patwa and is the biggest and the most ostentatious. It is believed that Patwa was a rich man and was a renowned trader of his time. He could afford and thus ordered the construction of separate stories for each of his 5 sons. These were completed in the span of 50 years. All five houses were constructed in the first 60 years of the 19th century.

Sam Sand Dunes

One of the most popular tourist attractions of Jaisalmer, Sam Sand Dunes is a must- visit in the Rajasthan state. If you visit the ‘Golden City’, then it is a must that enjoy a Desert Safari because if you do not explore the vast Thar on a camel’s back, you really miss all the fun. Visiting the Sam Sand Dunes is the highlight of Jaisalmer tour.

It is generally said that the best time for a camel safari is before sunset, between 4-6 PM or before sunrise, between 4-6 AM. During these hours, you experience the best warmness of the local people and the sight is no less than a carnival. Notice the children and the camel owners, clad in their traditional clothes. Though there are still such portions of the desert that are still untouched but offer a memorable experience.

Placed at a distance of 42-45 km from the main city, these dunes are simply a delight. The road leading to sam sand dunes is very well-maintained by the Indian Arm forces.Regarded as top 10 must see tourist destinations in Rajasthan by Lonely Planet,the sand dunes of Jaisalmer is a rare desert area, lying on the borders of Jaisalmer Desert National Park. Either hop onto a camel’s back or opt for a jeep safari.

There is also an option of desert camping where you can stay in mud cottages and Swiss tents, right next to the dunes. During your stay, enjoy special dance and music performance by Rajasthani performers along with relishing vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Do not forget to carry their cameras.

Best time to visit Sam Sand Dunes is from the month of October to March when they are bustling with tourist activity. The place is vibrant and energetic. These dunes also become the venue of Desert Festival in the month of February. This is a 3-day event showcasing the heritage and culture of Rajasthan. This extravaganza includes of a lot of events such as puppet shows, various competitions such as tug of war and Biggest Moustache, camel race, various folk performance and more. During this time, the city receives crazy footfall from all around the year.

The Thar Heritage Museum

Thar Heritage Museum is is located at the main market of the city. Laxmi narayan Khatri was the founder of this museum. The museum presents the history, culture, art and architecture of the famous Thar Desert. Sea fossils ageing over millions of years let us in hoe the sea eventually became the Thar Desert. Documents and coins of Jaisalmer, ancient manuscriots ands weapons are some of the collections found in this museum.

Gadisar Lake

Gadisar Lake ia located a Kilometre from the fort. It was constructed by the first ruler of the land, Raja Rawal Jaisal and later reconstructed by Maharwal Garsi in the year 1367 AD. The people of the desert city depended on this tank for their water needs. You will find temples, Holy shrines and Chattris around the banks of this lake. The artistically craved entrance made of yellow sandstone offers breathtaking view.

Nathmal Ki Haveli

This Nathmal Ji ki haveli was commissioned to serve as the residence of Diwan Mohata Nathmal, the then Prime Minister of Jaisalmer. Maharawal Beri Sal commissioned the construction of this Haveli. The architects of this haveli were Hathi and Lulu who happened to be brothers. There is a very interesting story regarding its construction. It is said that the two brothers started building different facets of haveli simultaneously. In those days there were no such instruments, which could keep a track on continuity and thus when this building came up finally it had irregular shape.

Barring that, this haveli is still considered the best in Jaisalmer in terms of grandeur. There are other minute details worth appreciation. For example there are two Elephants made of yellow stone. These life-size replicas have been put in front of the main entrance so that it looks as if they are guarding the Haveli. Other than these, there are pictures engraved on pillars and walls. These consist of Horses, Cattle, and depiction of Flora among other things. But the most interesting aspect of this haveli is the drawing of modern amenities such as cars, fans etc. It is said and believed that the Architect brothers dint see these things ever in their life and engraved it with mere help of their descriptions given by people who had seen it.

Thus the architecture present in this haveli is quite different from the one popular in other parts of Jaisalmer. The workmanship of Jaisalmer havelis is an amalgam of both Rajput architecture as well as Islamic art that was imported via the traders’ caravan through the desert.

Jain Temples

Located inside Jaisalmer Fort, Jian Temples are the series of temples dedicated to jian Tirthankars and can be traced back to the 12th century. the temples are known for their distinctive architectural style modelled after the Dilwara temple of Mt. Abu. beautifully craved and well interconnected, these temples are a vision to behold and are completely made up of yellow sandstone.

Salim Singh Ki Haveli

Among all the havelis in jaisalmer, Salim Sing Ki Haveli is known for its distinctive and eye catching architecture. It was built by the then minister, Salim Singh who wanted to make as high as the fort but was prohibited by the king, It has 38 balconies with their own distinctive style of architecture and a peacock shaped roof. This haveli provides a good glimpse in the past and the photographs taken here would be awe inspiring.

Kuldhara

An abandoned ghost town, Kuldhara was once a prosperous town by Paliwal Brahmins. The reason for why a whole city was abandoned with in a night is not clear but the popular belief holds that the then state minister Salim Singh responsible for the same. The minister wanted to marry the village chief’s daughter and therefore delivered an ultimatum to the village chief to accept his demands, the whole village decided to move away. Before leaving, they cursed this place to never have any kind of human settlement and this has been proven true to this date.

Prior to the mid 15th century, the region that is now Bikaner was a barren wilderness called Jangladesh. Rao Bika established the city of Bikaner in 1488. He was the first son of Maharaja Rao Jodha of the Rathore clan, the founder of Jodhpur and conquered the largely arid country in the north of Rajasthan. As the first son of Jodha he wanted to have his own kingdom, not inheriting Jodhpur from his father or the title of Maharaja. He therefore decided to build his own kingdom in what is now the state of Bikaner in the area of Jangladesh. Though it was in the Thar Desert, Bikaner was considered an oasis on the trade route between Central Asia and the Gujarat coast as it had adequate spring water. Bika’s name was attached to the city he built and to the state of Bikaner (“the settlement of Bika”) that he established. Bika built a fort in 1478, which is now in ruins, and a hundred years later a new fort was built about 1.5 km from the city centre, known as the Junagarh Fort.

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